The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
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Axminister Carpets
Axminster Carpets by appointment
From the collection of:
Overview
Westward TV's Clive Gunnell reports on the history of Axminister Carpets. The business started with Thomas Whitty when he began making carpets in 1755, in Axminster. Samuel Rampson Whitty, Thomas’ grandson had to declare bankruptcy due to a fire destroying the looms. Axminster Carpets were not to be made there again for 182 years. Harry Dutfield re-launched the carpet manufacturing industry in 1937.
The largest and most expensive piece created by Axminster Carpets in the 1700s was for Mahmud II the Sultan of Turkey, it depicts the sun, the moon and constellations. Axminister carpets are ubiquitous they adorn; royal residences, the first purchased by George III and Queen Charlotte after visiting the factory; high end hotels all over the world; the transport network such as trains, boats and planes. Axminster remained the only company to pre-manufacture its raw materials before having the carpets weaved in-house. The company was saved from closure in 2013.
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